Bright Night
by Spiderweave
Summary: The story of Nightpaw, a RockClan cat who is definitely not interested in toms (she's busy taking care of the Clan, thanks), in no way troubled by her heritage (it was two generations ago, can't everycat just forget it?), and is perpetually driven mad by everycat in her Clan, until one day, she finds something that just might have been under her nose all along.
1. Allegiances

Nightpaw is back, new and improved, and now with a full plot! The first chapter (as in, the chapter following the allegiances) is a bit of a staging chapter, but things will start to heat up soon, I promise!

Allegiances are still a bit of a work in progress. More will be added as the story progresses and I actually need to concern myself with the other clans.

* * *

_Allegiances_

**RockClan**

Leader:

Hissingstar- Brown scale* tabby she-cat with black eyes

Deputy:

Heavyclaw- Big, brown tabby tom with a ripped ear and gold eyes  
_Apprentice: Talonpaw_

Medicine Cat:

Singingwind- Gray she-cat with a dorsal stripe and green eyes

Warriors:

Blacktail- Black, subtly spotted tom with several white scar marks and black eyes  
_Apprentice: Cliffpaw_

Swiftclaw- Sandy-brown ticked* tom with black eyes

Quietburn- Pale, spotted tortoiseshell she-cat with black eyes  
_Apprentice: Sharppaw_

Coyotesong- Dark silver tabby she-cat with a clawed muzzle and pale green eyes  
_Apprentice: Gracepaw_

Stripeheart- Sand-colored blotched tabby tom with deep green eyes  
_Apprentice: Huntpaw_

Longleap- Pale cream, ghost tabby tom with a white face and throat, and yellow eyes  
_Apprentice: Flyingpaw_

Coiltrance- Silver scale tabby she-cat with black eyes  
_Apprentice: Owlpaw_

Stonefrost- Gray tabby tom with ice blue eyes

Grayheart- Light gray, freckled she-cat with black eyes

Highsky- Gray tom shading to white at paws and belly, with clear blue eyes  
_Apprentice: Sandpaw_

Suncloud- Golden tom with black eyes  
_Apprentice: Nightpaw_

Strikefang- Lighter brown scale tabby tom with deep green eyes

Gulchrock- Light brown tabby tom with longer fur and blue eyes

Strongstep- Sand-colored tabby tom with soft yellow eyes

Vultureflight- Dark brown tom with black eyes and a white face, throat, paws, and tail-tip.

Queens:

Summerstorm- Golden, spotted she-cat with bright blue eyes. Mated to Suncloud.  
_Kits:_ Dunekit- Golden, spotted she-cat with black eyes. Shimmerkit- Gold-brown tom with an unusual, wavy, broken tabby pattern and yellow eyes. Loudkit- Golden tom with pale green eyes.

Desertfang- Pale yellow, faintly tabbied she-cat with bright yellow eyes. Mated to Highsky.  
_Kits:_ Rockkit- Red tabby tom with black eyes. Stillkit- Pale gray freckled tom with midnight blue eyes. Dawnkit- Silver tabby she-cat with pale green eyes. Coldkit- Light brown-and-white tabby she-cat with clear blue eyes

Elders:

Cloudfoot- Light gray tom with pale green eyes

Spottedhawk- Brown-with-white spotted tom with gold eyes

Duststorm- Dusty brown spotted tom with a torn ear, a patchwork of scars over his left shoulder, and pale green eyes

Thickfur- Dark gray tom with soft, thick fur and yellow eyes

Shadyrock- Dark brown, tabby she-cat with white legs and gold eyes. One foreleg is twisted from an old injury

Apprentices:

Gracepaw- Sand-colored, broad-shouldered she-cat with longer fur and black eyes.

Cliffpaw- Light brown, ticked tom with blue eyes.

Talonpaw- Caramel tabby tom with gold-green eyes.

Sandpaw- Tarnished silver-and-white ticked she-cat with yellow eyes.

Sharppaw- Cream scale tabby tom with deep blue eyes.

Huntpaw- Gray-brown scale tabby she-cat with black eyes.

Nightpaw- Black, subtly spotted she-cat with yellow eyes.

Owlpaw- Light gray she-cat with brown tabby ears and tail and black eyes.

Flyingpaw- Silver, ticked scale tabby she-cat with pale green eyes.

**HighClan**

Leader:

Icestar- White she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy:

Redheart- Red tabby tom with red eyes

Medicine Cat:

Brownleaf- Patched* brown tom with three white paws, a white face, and blue eyes  
_Apprentice: Ledgestone- Gray tabby she-cat with dark amber eyes_

Warriors:

Ravenfur- Glossy black tom with amber eyes

**StormClan**

Leader:

Darkstar- Black smoke tom with gold eyes

Deputy:

Rainshadow- Black-and-pale-gold tortoiseshell she-cat with deep, gray-purple eyes

Medicine Cat:

Graysky- Pale gray tom with clear blue eyes

Warriors:

**ForestClan**

Leader:

Distantstar- Silver, marbled tom with orange eyes

Deputy:

Darkheaven- Charcoal, rosetted tom with deep orange eyes

Medicine Cat:

Feypath- Dark gray, spotted she-cat with pale blue eyes

Warriors:

**ValleyClan**

Leader:

Ripstar- Dark red tom with striking black braided tabby and piercing, light gray eyes.

Deputy:

Rippletrance- Soft gray, broken tabby she-cat with dark gray eyes.

Medicine cat:

Nymphfur- Blue, spotted she-cat with light, grayish-blue eyes.  
_Apprentice: Muddypaw_

Warriors:

Wolfheart- Brown-gray marbled tabby she-cat with yellow eyes.

* * *

* Scale tabby is a pattern specific to RockClan and the desert Tribes. It is a variation on mackerel tabby that is strikingly reminiscent of scales.  
** For ease of writing and understanding, I made a distinction between ticked and ticked tabby. A ticked cat's coat is completely or almost completely free of bars. She may still have some ghost rings showing on the tail, or some facial markings. A ticked tabby will have stripes on his legs, tail, neck, and face.

* Patched is a pattern specific to HighClan that usually consists of several different shades of one color patched over the body of the cat. Occasionally, a single shade of gray will be added into the mix.


	2. Chapter 1

There will be some different slang as compared to the books, though hopefully the meaning will be obvious through context. There is a short summary of my AU on my profile, which might help you grasp the setting better, if you'd like to read it.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Another day, another dawn patrol," Nightpaw sighed, scrubbing her paws over her face as she sat down just outside the apprentice den.

"Nightpaw, it's too early for such dramatics," Sandpaw groaned, still blinking sleepily and pawing ineffectually at one ear.

"Are you ready, Nightpaw?" Suncloud called, his approaching form little more than a golden smudge in the gray, pre-dawn light.

"Yes!" Nightpaw answered, springing to her paws to greet her mentor.

"Good," Suncloud purred. "We're on the HighClan border today."

Nightpaw felt herself bristle slightly at that. "Excellent," she growled, remembering the insults one of the flea-ridden HighClan warriors had hurled her way last time she was near that border.

Highsky batted at Sandpaw's ears, his gray pelt making him nearly invisible in the faint light. "On your paws, Sandpaw," he chided, "it's the glorious beginning of a new day!"

Sandpaw muttered darkly to herself as she dragged herself after Highsky to the entrance to the dens, where Stonefrost peeled away from the group of cats who would be patrolling the desert side of the border in order to join Nightpaw's patrol as they padded out of the dens. "Let's hurry, then, and see if we can't get to the border before HighClan inflicts their presence on the earth," Stonefrost growled, taking the lead and setting a brisk pace towards the border.

Nightpaw hung back to the rear of the patrol, still feeling uneasy about facing HighClan again. They hadn't made it very far before Suncloud dropped back with Nightpaw.

"Don't fret," Suncloud nudged Nightpaw slightly with his shoulder while they ran, "you did perfectly well last time."

"I know," Nightpaw said, studying the ground as it rushed away beneath her paws, "I just wish they wouldn't constantly bring up Wraitheyes."

"Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed of," Suncloud said seriously. "Besides, what does your grandmother have to do with anything when your mother already promises to be one of the best leaders the Clans have seen? They're just trying to get into your head. Don't give them the pleasure."

Nightpaw nodded reluctantly.

"Your lineage never defines you, Nightpaw, remember that. You must make your own worth."

"It just doesn't feel very much like that sometimes."

"I know. But look to Hissingstar, Coiltrance, and Strikefang. Those are your closer family, and they all three give great strength to our Clan. If your family must define you, then let it be them, not a cat who chose to die beyond our borders."

Nightpaw clenched her jaw. "You're right," she looked Suncloud in the eyes again, before adding, "I'm being ridiculous, aren't I," a little ruefully.

"A little," Suncloud's eyes twinkled. "But it must be hard," he added more seriously, "when not even a mother like Hissingstar can wipe away the memory of Wraitheyes's shame. You must work to remember that her shame is no part of you."

"I will try."

"Good cat." Suncloud flicked Nightpaw with his tail tip. "Now lets go remind HighClan that RockClan is a force to be reckoned with!" With that, Suncloud picked up his pace until he was breezing past the rest of the patrol, yowling, "Move your paws, everycat, are we the dawn patrol or the sun-high patrol?" Nightpaw followed like a second shadow, while Stonefrost growled, "Watch who you're talking to, you little whippersnapper!" as he leaped after Suncloud, brushing past Nightpaw and playfully snapping at Suncloud's tail. Highsky laughed and took his own turn shoving towards the front.

They made good time towards the border, racing each other all the way while the air around them slowly lightened. Stonefrost was winded by the time they reached their destination, being the thickest built of anycat on the patrol.

"How are you doing there, old man?" Suncloud teased while they all took a moment to catch their breath.

"You lanky little cheetahs," Stonefrost groused between gasps. "Just wait until the next time we meet at Trainingrocks, we'll see who's laughing then."

"So much talk, so little action," Highsky purred. "Let's get on with the patrol, shall we? The sun is about to come up."

Nightpaw cast a behind her towards the eastern horizon, where a little sliver of the sun could be seen making it's way above the open desert. Everycat murmured in agreement, and they began the more serious task of examining and scenting the border. HighClan hadn't reached the border yet, if the stale scent marks were anything to go by, which Nightpaw was very happy about. The patrol was completed quickly enough without any sightings of HighClan or HighClan scents crossing the border.

"Well, that was quite dull," Stonefrost yawned, shutting his mouth with a 'snick' of fangs. "Who says we stay and do some hunting while were out here?"

Nightpaw's tail waived in excitement as she turned to Suncloud. "Can we?"

Suncloud narrowed his eyes at her affectionately. "Of course we can, we have to keep the Clan fed somehow."

"I agree," Highsky nodded. "I think I'll try for some chipmunks, I saw several scattering while we were on patrol. Come along, Sandpaw." Highsky bounded off back in the direction they had come from.

"See you later, Nightpaw!" Sandpaw grinned as she ran after her mentor.

"Good luck!" Nightpaw called before turning to fix her eyes on Suncloud once more. "Where will we go?"

"Hmm, I was thinking squirrels. Stonefrost, what did you want?"

"I guess I'll go for birds, in that case. The gray jays seem to be out in force today. Unless you wanted to stick together?"

"No, that's all right. Snake and Panther go with you, Stonefrost." Suncloud nodded to Stonefrost before turning to head towards a copse of juniper trees a little ways off and farther into RockClan territory.

"And with the both of you," Stonefrost returned before heading back to skirt the edge of the border.

"He's hoping to run into the HighClan patrol when they finally come by," Suncloud muttered. Nightpaw twitched her ears uncomfortably.

"Is he trying to start a fight?" she mewed uneasily.

"Not likely, going by himself as he is. If he was running off with Blacktail and Strikefang we'd have to worry, but alone he's just looking for that edge of danger to get the blood pumping, I'd imagine."

Nightpaw flicked her bristling tail, trying to get it to flatten again. "That's more than I would want, first thing in the morning."

"Oh, me too, but Stonefrost is a different breed of cat. He's a fighter before a hunter, opposite of you and me. And most cats, to be quite honest. It's a strange few who prefer going claw-to-claw with other cats to settling into a hunter's stance."

"But we need some like that, don't we?"

"Of course," Suncloud purred, "it takes all types to make a Clan strong. But it's a good thing most of us aren't like Stonefrost, or the hunt-kill pile would have a mighty hard time filling itself. Now let's see if that Panther will provide us with anything to catch." Suncloud peered closely around the copse, while Nightpaw parted her jaws to taste the air. She smelled squirrel, and took a few moments to pin-point the location, nudging Suncloud to get his attention and signalling with her tail. Suncloud nodded, and gave the signal to head the squirrel off from both sides.

Nightpaw began to creep in the opposite side Suncloud chose, stopping once they had the squirrel between them. It was still oblivious to their presence, with a slight breeze coming from the side, but it probably wouldn't remain so for long. Suncloud signaled Nightpaw to take the offensive, and she began to edge her way closer to the squirrel, trying to strike the right balance between moving quickly enough to not be scented, and slowly enough to not raise a racket. She got to just close enough and leaped silently at the squirrel. Sadly, the squirrel turned just then and saw her coming, barely whisking its tail away from her extended claws. Happily, Suncloud had also been edging closer, and he was able to snag the squirrel as it tried to shoot away.

"Good catch," Nightpaw mewed, still a little disappointed.

"Good assist from you," Suncloud returned. "Your form was good, it was just bad luck that had the squirrel turning at the wrong time."

Nightpaw beamed while Suncloud buried the squirrel.

"Now, let's see if we can't catch anything else!"

* * *

It was nearing sun-high when Suncloud and Nightpaw made it back to camp with their hunt-kill. Nightpaw's pads were beginning to ache, and her jaw was sore from carrying prey all the way back from the HighClan border, but she managed to keep her tail high as they arrived back at the dens, still glowing a little with Suncloud's praise. They had caught one more squirrel in the copse of juniper before leaving it, and Nightpaw caught a mouse on her own in the sagebrush.

Suncloud took his squirrel directly into the nursery for his mate and kits, while Nightpaw went to drop her catch in the hunt-kill pile.

"Mighty Nightpaw returns!" Talonpaw called from across the dens, where he was washing himself. "Caught enough hunt-kill for the next half-moon, I'm sure!"

"Talonpaw," Nightpaw replied, careful to keep her tone completely level. "What have you done today? Sit on your tail in the dens? I thought so." Nightpaw turned purposefully away to the elders' den, meaning to ask if any of them wanted some hunt-kill and to end her conversation with Talonpaw before it could really begin.

"Why bother to leave the dens when stunning Nightpaw can hunt well enough to feed us all?" Talonpaw put his head down on his paws, ears pricked in very attractive way, as he very well knew. Nightpaw ignored him and ducked into the elders' den with a dismissive flick of her tail.

"Hello, Nightpaw," Shadyrock greeted.

"Hi! I was wondering if any of you wanted some hunt-kill?"

"Are the patrols already coming back?" Spottedhawk yawned from his nest.

"I suppose it's time to move my lazy bones," Cloudfoot sighed as he slowly made his way to his feet.

"Oh, you don't have to get up, I can bring it to you," Nightpaw hastened to assure him.

Cloudfoot laughed. "Don't you get all worried now. Even ancient cats like me have to get up and feel the wind in their fur."

Shadyrock sighed. "I suppose if Cloudfoot is going I don't have any excuse to stay behind." She heaved herself to her feet, her twisted foreleg hanging uselessly while her other three legs supported her weight. "Lead the way, Nightpaw."

Nightpaw scrambled up out of the den and trotted over to the hunt-kill pile, the elders following her in a ragged line. "I just brought in this mouse and the squirrel, and I think that Stonefrost brought in the gray jay this morning, as well." Nightpaw looked around for Stonefrost to make sure he had come back, spotting him sharing tongues with Stripeheart and Strikefang.

Thickfur touched his tail to her flank as he limped forward to grab the squirrel, Nightpaw tentatively assumed in thanks.

"Thank you, Nightpaw," Shadyrock said warmly as she hobbled after Thickfur. They laid down together a short ways off to share the squirrel between them.

"You choose next, Cloudfoot," Duststorm waved him forward with his tail.

"If you insist," Cloudfoot ambled forward to grab Nightpaw's mouse.

"You must be getting good at this, Nightpaw," Spottedhawk smirked, "I hear Talonpaw taunting you at least twice a day, now."

"Oh, um…" Nightpaw shuffled her paws and flattened her ears in embarrassment.

"Don't listen to him," Duststorm advised, "he just likes to make cats uncomfortable."

"Shall we share this jay, then, Duststorm?" Spottedhawk asked.

"Might as well," Duststorm replied, his eyes twinkling, "leaving poor, hard-working Nightpaw with yesterday's leftovers."

"You take it, I'll be fine with this lizard!" Nightpaw assured, scooping a lizard towards her with her paw.

"Well, if you insist." Duststorm ducked his head to grab the jay. Nightpaw breathed a little sigh of relief as they settled down together to tear into it. She grabbed her lizard and settled in the shade of an overhanging rock to eat it.

Talonpaw walked past, doing Panther knows what, nodding to Nightpaw. Nightpaw ignored him, still annoyed, which in hindsight was an incredible mistake.

"Alas and alack," Talonpaw sighed, dramatic and insincere, as usual, "I have offended starry Nightpaw! I bow and scrape for your pardon, I do not know how I will survive under your frown."

And then he _actually bowed and scraped._ Nightpaw lashed her tail in something approaching fury. "Move on, Talonpaw, no cat wants to listen to you!"

"Very well," Talonpaw smirked, "I will try my luck again when you are in a more forgiving mood."

Sandpaw and Highsky came back just then, thank StarClan. Nightpaw waited while Sandpaw darted into the nursery to drop off her catch with the kits, then made her way over to Nightpaw after snatching something from yesterday from the hunt-kill pile.

Nightpaw was gearing up to launch into a complaint about Talonpaw when Sandpaw asked, "How did your hunt go?"

"What? Oh, it was good," Nightpaw relaxed some, remembering how well she had done. "Suncloud and I caught two squirrels together, and then I caught a mouse by myself."

"Well done!" Sandpaw praised through a mouthful of mouse. "Highsky caught three chipmunks, but I only managed to get one."

"Sounds like Highsky was hogging all the prey." Nightpaw nudged Sandpaw, trying her best to be encouraging. Sandpaw laughed, so Nightpaw congratulated herself. Nightpaw caught sight of Talonpaw still lurking around the dens in the corner of her eye, and she remembered her earlier irritation, her tail flicking irritably.

"What's wrong?" Sandpaw asked. "You looked really annoyed when I came back."

"It's just Talonpaw again," Nightpaw frowned. "I don't know why he's so rude to me."

Sandpaw swished her tail in the dust behind them. "He just likes to rile cats up, and you are kind of easy to rile, Nightpaw."

Nightpaw huffed and rolled her partially eaten lizard around in front of herself. "He's just so irritating, Sandpaw."

"I know you think so," Sandpaw smiled, butting her head into Nightpaw's shoulder briefly.

A hunting patrol returned a few moments later, reviving the hunt-kill pile somewhat, though they all kept a piece for themselves once they made sure the kits were fed. Cliffpaw and Huntpaw broke away from the group to come eat with Nightpaw and Sandpaw, Talonpaw trailing after them.

"Oh, did you have to settle for leftovers?" Huntpaw wrinkled her nose as she flopped down.

"Somebody's got to eat it," Nightpaw shrugged.

"I guess, but I like to leave that business to Gulchrock or some other horribly responsible cat."

Cliffpaw snorted, settling down beside Nightpaw. "It's just another perk of dawn patrol, yesterday's hunt-kill."

"How did your patrol go?" Talonpaw asked.

"So kind of you to ask, Talonpaw," Nightpaw put her ears back.

"Right," Talonpaw grinned, "you're still ticked off at me."

Cliffpaw's tail nudged up against Nightpaw's, and she flicked her own out of his way, getting annoyed.

"It was boring," Sandpaw answered her littermate's question, "the HighClan patrol hadn't come by yet. We hunted after, and Nightpaw said she did pretty well, but I didn't have such a great day. How was the hunting patrol?" Sandpaw directed the last towards Huntpaw and Cliffpaw.

"It was great!" Huntpaw gushed before Cliffpaw could say anything. "I caught a huge lizard with Stripeheart."

"I was able to dig a couple of mice out of their burrows like Blacktail has been teaching me," Cliffpaw put in. "It's hard to get the hang of it, but I guess I got it today." He seemed proud, immediately ducking back down to bite into his mouse.

"That's so cool," Sandpaw sighed. "I can't wait until Highsky teaches me how to do that."

The last hunting patrol returned, then, and Flyingpaw came over to join us. An afternoon lull settled over the dens as every cat settled down to eat and share tongues. The unlucky sun-high patrols would be running the borders by now.

Nightpaw finally finished the last of her lizard, crunching through the tail bones. She got up to leap on top of the rock they were all sitting under, stretching out in the sun.

"Good idea," Cliffpaw said, jumping up after Nightpaw with Sandpaw.

"Highsky was telling me the other day that it'll be too hot to sunbathe soon enough and we should enjoy it while we can," Sandpaw offered, rolling around until she found a position she liked.

"Gee, thanks for that cheerful anecdote," Cliffpaw rolled his eyes.

Nightpaw snorted. "We'd better hurry up and nap, then, before somebody decides that something needs doing, and the apprentices are just the cats to do it."

"You two are really going to have to stop, I'm going to explode with joy," Cliffpaw huffed into Nightpaw's ear from where he had settled right next to her.

"If you insist," Nightpaw swiped half-heartedly at a wasp buzzing by as she drifted off to the sounds of the kits playing outside the nursery.

* * *

Let me know what you think, or if you were confused about the setting, or anything! :)


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